GALLIPOLIS, Ohio — It's still early for Christmas shopping, but The Ohio Valley Symphony already has a two-for-one offer for November. Two great soloists, two great composers and two birthdays will be celebrated on one big night.

Music director Ray Fowler leads the OVS at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 in "Mozart and  Sibelius," the second program in the orchestra's 20th anniversary season.

Joining the ensemble at the Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre in downtown Gallipolis will be violinist David Kim, celebrating 10 years as concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and pianist Debra Harder, a long-time local favorite.

Kim plays the violin concerto of Jan Sibelius, the Finnish composer best known for "Finlandia." Like a Nordic winter, the concerto is a fire-and-ice showcase of melancholy beauty, brooding power, passion, and playfulness. Though it's a first performance by the OVS, concert-goers will hear instantly why it's a long-time favorite of both musicians and audiences.

Harder brings her keyboard elegance to Mozart's beloved 21st piano concerto. The C-major concerto has been a classic since it was written in 1785. Audiences love its stately opening, tender and graceful middle movement and sparkling finale. The concerto earned a new audience in 1967, when it was used in the 1967 Swedish film Elvira Madigan (the tragic true story of Danish tightrope dancer Hedvig Jensen). Forty years later, the movie is obscure, but the concerto is still going strong.

David Kim earned two degrees from the Juilliard School in New York. In 1986, he was the only American violinist to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He founded and for 20 years was artistic director of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival at the University of Rhode Island. In conjunction with the festival, he also founded an outreach program that took him to schools across the state to cultivate future audiences. He continues to devote time to bringing classical music to school children in the Philadelphia area.

Kim appears as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra each season as  well as with numerous orchestras around the world. He also serves as a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s board of directors. Kim continues the parade of great instruments to Gallipolis: He plays a violin by  . Guadagnini made in Milan, Italy, about 1757. It's on loan to him from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Debra Harder began piano studies at age 6 and made her orchestral debut at age 12. Though she continued to perform, her first degrees were in medicine, and she became an emergency room physician. She then earned a second doctorate -- this time in music -- after studying at The Ohio State University with Earl Wild. She has performed with orchestras across the United States and in recital here and abroad -- including with David Kim. She now teaches at Haverford College outside Philadelphia.

The birthdays celebrate two of the region's jewels. The November  concert is part of the 20th anniversary season of The Ohio Valley Symphony, marking two decades as an integral part of the cultural fabric of southeast Ohio and neighboring West Virginia. The group has never wavered from its guiding principles: to bring live, professional, orchestral music to the region; to provide its performers with a positive atmosphere; and to instill a love of music in children through education and exposure to great music.

The OVS is also proud to help celebrate the 90th birthday of Jewell  Evans. Jewell Victoria Waters came to Gallipolis from North Carolina with her family. It was here she met her future husband, Robert "Bob" Evans. Together they built one of America's iconic family restaurant brands. Since Bob's death in 2007, Jewell Evans has dedicated her time and energy to charities and non-profit organizations in the area. She has been a tireless worker in support of the ongoing restoration of the landmark Ariel Theatre. Jewell will be honored at receptions before and after the concert.

Tickets to the Ohio Valley Symphony's Nov. 7 performance of Mozart and Sibelius are on sale now. Visit the OVS Web site at www.ohiovalleysymphony.org for more information.

The public is encouraged to attend OVS rehearsals for free at 7-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and 1-4 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Ariel. Open rehearsals are an excellent way to introduce children to symphonic music and for casual listeners to grow more comfortable with it. They're also a great glimpse behind the scenes to see what goes into preparing an orchestral performance.

Funding for the Ohio Valley Symphony is provided by the Ann Carson Dater Endowment. Further support is provided by Bob Evans Farms wishing Jewell Evans a happy 90th birthday.

Go online at www.ohiovalleysymphony.org or call 740-446-7925.
 

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